"Unclassy"

Winston-Salem, NC -- We're in midseason in the City of Greensboro Fall Kickball League 2008. With the addition of four new teams, the league has blossomed into a boffo "after work" program. Half of the new teams are pretty darn good; one of those two good teams beat us in a solid, crisp, defense-dominated 7-2 game last week. A couple of recent UNCG grads anchor the team. However, the other two new teams are just plain awful. In a 17-4 rout last week, our team was called "unclassy" for running up the score. It was a high schooler versus elementary schooler match-up where we were trying to get out after the first inning. As the team pastor said, "The first person to claim that someone doesn't have 'class' usually doesn't have any." Our record is 2-2 with an archrival match-up against "Crush" tonight.

To make-up for the dreadful, black-out loss to the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, the Washington Redskins closed out their Texas Stadium era with a big win on Sunday afternoon. Campbell is finally starting to feel comfortable (again, like his 13-0 season at Auburn) in the West Coast offense implemented by Jim Zorn. Let's see what the Skins can do in Philly this weekend. The Skins can never win there when McNabb is playing.

I'll get to the Nationals and their issues later on this week. I've discovered some articles relating to the shine coming off the Ted Lerner administration in DC. Just what the DC area needed... another hands-on, overaggressive owner who won't allow the baseball/football people to perform their job.

One last thought... I wish that MLB would wise-up and give the Cubs' ownership keys to Mark Cuban. The man is a marketing magician, who would boost revenues into Yankee territory. While outlandish and outspoken at times (he makes up for it by working at Dairy Queen!), Cuban is a rabid fan of his team. To contradict that sentiment, Hank Steinbrenner attended three games this year at Yankee Stadium. Cuban's enthusiasm and commitment to his team is unquestionable; the Cubs would shift some of that East Coast network bias to the Midwest. It would surely beat another addition to Bud's Poker Club.

The O's Won A Trade; huh?

Greensboro, NC -- Since the apex of Peter Angelos' reign as owner, the Orioles have been the devil dogs of Major League Baseball. Since the brilliant GM Pat Gillick was shown the door following the mediocre 1998 season, the Orioles have had a milquetoast in the GM's chair. But one can't help but notice when Angelos hired Andy MacPhail in the middle of last summer to usurp all GM duties from the bland Mike Flanagan as President of Baseball Operations that the O's misfortunes have turned a little bit.

Signing their two round 1 sections -- stud C Matt Wieters and ace-in-the-making lefty Brian Matusz -- are good moves for this moribund franchise. The massive 5 for 1 Tejada trade is too early to judge because all of the young players in the deal have yet to develop. But one deal that is looking like a steal is the Erik Bedard trade.

Bedard numbers this year: 6-4, 3.67 ERA, 72 K's, 81 IP, 1.32 WHIP, 37 BB's.

Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the deal, isn't lighting up the league -- yet -- but he has shown promise, especially when he began heating up along with the weather in mid-May: 0.270 BA, 9 HR's, 57 RBI's.

But what about George Sherrill, the All-Star? 31 saves and 55 K's in 50 innings. Maybe MacPhail can parlay his All-Star status into a trade for another grade A or B prospect or two?

Chris Tillman? Read this Keith Law article. He's tearing up the AA-Eastern League.

The lesson learned from this trade is that 3 for 1 or 5 for 1 trades never work. The Orioles haven't been on the "1" side since they were burned in that lopsided Glenn Davis trade in 1991. What's striking for the Mariners was the fact that while Bedard has always shown promise, he had only one, solid year under his belt. He has a chilly personality that the Orioles didn't need in their youth movement, which the Mariners are seeing now. He has one more year left before he's eligible for free agency. On top of all of this, he's out for 9 months with shoulder surgery. Those injuries take time, so don't expect him back when he's eligible to come off the DL.

What seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the season is now a legitimate question... Should the Mariners non-tender Bedard this offseason? Why would you pay $10M for a pitcher who may come back for half the season, then depart via free agency?

Chalk up a "W" for MacPhail and the Orioles on this one.

Happy 1, SP.

Turn it up! A Look at The Traveling Wilburys

Greensboro, NC -- This past summer has been like no other, in that, I had the very fortunate ability to attend three future/current Rock N' Roll Hall-of-Fame artist's shows -- Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., and Tom Petty. Try to beat that in one summer! If I had more time, I would have tried to slide Rush in there too. By seeing these three artists, I rediscovered my fondness and appreciation for solid, fundamental 80's and 90's music. Tom Petty played the last of the three shows, and he mentioned to the crowd before playing his 10th song or so, "Here's an old Traveling Wilburys' hit..." My first reaction was, "Oh, that's easy... 'End of the Line'." The very first MTV video that I ever saw was indeed "End of the Line" with the Traveling Wilburys singing the tune in a moving train's boxcar. The ensuing chords took me back, needless to say.

Wanting to beef up my already impressive iTunes' library, I plucked the Traveling Wilburys' Volume I out of my parents' collection this past weekend. Along the drive from Ashton to Greensboro, I discovered another "lost art:" the art of playing an album from beginning to end with every song being radio worthy. This CD has one of the best track listings that I've heard in years! Like practically every U2 album (c'mon, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can't Leave Behind, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb are just that!), you can sing along to every song...

• Handle with Care -- Quite possibly Roy Orbison's finest piece of work; this song propelled the supergroup into recording an entire album, not just this single.
• Dirty World -- One of the coolest endings ever... it incorporates everyone's vocals gracefully.
• Last Night -- Very groovy bass line for this radio hit.
• End of the Line -- The most popular, but not the best, song on the album.

The other six tracks are just as creative, innovative, and fluid as these noteworthy four. I read that George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne were having lunch with Bob Dylan, and they talked about recording a song together. Harrison left his guitar at Tom Petty's house, so he was invited to collaborate on this one track project (Handle with Care). Because the song was so good, they decided that it couldn't be released as a single, so it was determined that a short album was in store. Subsequently, Volume I is the result of a polished product from five talented frontmen, who wanted to record an album together. Usually, when artists of this magnitude collaborate, their styles don't mix, and only one forgettable song is produced. This latter situation occurs when artists team up for raise awareness for an issue. You'll have 5 or 6 lead guitars because each frontman wants to bring their own lead guitarist. Volume I is a rare exception because the artists kept their egos in check, and serendipitously discovered that their own styles are not much different from each other's. The melodic grooves blend together so well... you just have to wonder what could had been if for not each member returning to their respective band. I still need to check out Volume III (yes, that was on purpose) to see how the follow-up went. For now, let me know what you think about supergroup's production.

A Lost Art; Album Artwork

Greensboro, NC -- When I downloaded the latest version of iTunes last night, I felt as though I finally caught up with the times. I had been using version 6.9 or something like that because I couldn't figure out how to turn off this overprotected popup blocker on my computer. If you have iTunes version 8.0, you'll notice that the program organizes your music by album, and not by song anymore. The albums are identified by the front cover, or if you want to be fancy, the "inset sleeve." One can surely determine that some artists take a considerable amount of time in planning their album cover. I've noticed over time that album covers have become a lost art. Nowadays, you'll only see a frontal photo of the band or singer. I miss the days of some colorful and tasteful artwork on the covers. So, let me unveil my all-time favorite album covers. You can click on the name of the album below to see what I'm referring to. And, while you're at it, please add your own favorites so that I can check them out. I only want albums which exemplify nifty artwork.

• U2 -- Achtung Baby -- I once met somebody who had the U and 2 rings on this cover.
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- Into the Great Wide Open -- My parents always had this album resting on top of their stereo.
• Nirvana -- Nevermind -- A popular favorite among Bistro readers.
• Green Day -- Dookie -- One of the first albums I ever bought; the meticulous cartoon-esque setting is pretty cool with the inclusion of Dookie.
• Pink Floyd -- The Dark Side of the Moon -- One of, if not the most, recognizable album covers of all-time.
• Prince -- Purple Rain -- Popular because of the movie.
• The Go-Go's -- Beauty and the Beat -- This album cover was recommended to me by a woman.
• Nick Drake -- Pink Moon -- Off beat; yes. Original; no.
• Talking Heads -- Little Creatures -- Talking Heads always have great album covers.
• The Rolling Stones -- Sticky Fingers -- Had to include a black n' white cover.
• Duran Duran -- Rio -- Had to include an album from my YOB.
• Elton John -- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy -- The name of the album is as unusual as its cover.
• Kiss -- Creatures of the Night -- Great cover (yes, it includes facials), but it completely depicts the name tastefully.

As an addendum to this blog, check out Trivia Tim's latest entry about how an album is recorded. Maybe, as an addition to this entry, he could include how the album artwork was selected and developed. The cover of his latest album is featured in this entry.

Stadium Economics, New York Style

Winston-Salem, NC -- Here's a link to a recent New York Times article about season ticket price woes for New York area fans. In summary, it's an awful way to treat your fans. If you paid thousands for a "seat license," you are stuck with (1) a lifetime of buying tix at any price set by the team, (2) abandoning your "investment" in the license or (3) trying to sell your license. I think the "value" for seating licenses is a bubble that will cave just like dot-com stocks in 2000 and Florida real estate in 2007.

As the fan says at the end of the article, if ownership can't afford to finance a new stadium on their own, they shouldn't be leaving Giants Stadium. Something for DC area politicians to remember when Danny (inevitably) tries to one-up the Giants and Cowboys with a new stadium! Yes, this is coming from me, a huge proponent of stadium building. Although, I can just see it now in the year 2017 (after 20 years of playing in the "outdated" FedEx Field), Danny buys the plot of land that RFK currently resides on and builds a University of Phoenix Stadium to trump the new Cowboys Stadium.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Greensboro, NC – After a jam-packed weekend of Murphy Nation festivities and zigzagging back and forth on the Tappan Zee Bridge, the vociferous conversation centered around such items as “How many points are the Giants favored by?,” “What? You’re a Skins fan?,” and “Be sure to catch the Super Bowl champs next week roll over your Skins.” A classy fan never boasts about his team. Plus, what should we expect out of the Jim Zorn Administration?

For once, there were no splashy free agent signings or top, lottery picks to showcase in Ashburn this year. Sure, there was the boffo trade for (former) sack machine Jason Taylor, but this current time frame of the Snyder reign is preaching continuity. It’s all fine and dandy when Greg Blache picks up the torch from “Double G” Williams, using the same defensive schemes. But what about the cornerback depth? Shawn Springs isn’t getting any younger, Carlos Rogers is coming off knee surgery, and Fred Smoot doesn’t cover the 70% of land that he proclaimed on draft day 2001.

Jason Campbell is expected to thrive in Zorn’s West Coast offense. As SI’s Peter King notes, expect big things from Campbell soon. WR depth was built through the draft. Clinton Portis is finally poised to carry the workload again and appears in good condition following his shoulder injury from 2006. But saying that Campbell will blossom and the D will continue to improve its top 10 finish from last year is like saying (in 2002) that the defensive with Marvin Lewis will be solid and The Ol’ Ball Coach will entrench an explosive offense equating to a double digit, playoff season. I have no idea what to expect from Zorn this year. I have no idea who the guy is, other than the people from Seattle love him. The team’s DNA under Gibbs was run the ball and play solid D. Now, short drop back passes are inked all over the playbook.

Tonight’s game is tough to predict. Sometimes the Redskins play very well in the Meadowlands. Sometimes they lay eggs. Coming off an exuberant Super Bowl victory, playing on national TV, and opening up the final season of Giants Stadium translates to an extremely ballyhooed crowd. This type of crowd could parallel the October 2005 game when Giants owner Wellington Mara passed, and the Giants used this emotion to propel them to a blowout victory. I love the Redskins, but for tonight, I’ll say:

Giants 24, Redskins 13

Hail to the Redskins!